White and the boys had their first U.S. performance on April 7 in New York City. Newsday's Rafer Guzman watched the show, and this edited version of his review should give Chicago fans an idea of what to expect when the band plays at Lollapalooza.

Raconteurs a happy boys club

It's odd to see Jack White without drummer Meg White (left). In fact, it's odd to see the man who seems to always work with women (Meg, Holly Golightly, Loretta Lynn) without a woman at all.

Any apron strings were severed during The Raconteurs' show. The band is a true boys' club, rounded out by Brendan Benson, bassist Jack Lawrence and drummer Patrick Keeler. A guest musician, Dean Fertita, sat in on keyboards.

The Raconteurs' debut, "Broken Boy Soldiers," is all very Y chromosome: There's the title and a cover photo showing the four sporting black eyes and busted noses. And if the tunes sound a bit rough and unfinished--well, aren't guys always rushing things?

All songs are credited to Benson-White, and throughout the April 7 show the two traded the spotlight. On "Intimate Secretary," Benson cooed the verses and White yowled the chorus. During "Steady, As She Goes," they overlapped like campers singing in rounds. The band is billed as an equal partnership, but White's intense charisma wasn't easily subdued. During "Blue Veins" the band bided time while White freaked out on guitar, then keyboards, then guitar again.

White and Benson often faced off and rubbed shoulders, but during the acoustic ballad "Yellow Sun," the two leaned into the same microphone and harmonized while smiling broadly. White, for one, seemed thrilled to have found other boys to play with.